Some 70,000 Israelis Fly Home to Cast Votes in Tuesday's Knesset Race
Hotel chains report a jump in bookings as travelers arrive for the vote, while flight cancellations and pre-planned trips keep other citizens off the rolls.
By Isabel Ortega ·
An estimated 70,000 Israelis living overseas have returned or are on their way back before Tuesday's Knesset vote, a wave of arrivals large enough to matter in a tight finish. No official count exists, and the number remains an estimate. In 2022, a single Knesset seat cost about 36,000 votes. Turnout and population growth push that figure to an estimated 38,000 to 39,000 this year.
The politics of the arriving voters are hard to pin down. Some estimates point toward the change bloc, but there is no reliable measure of their preferences. If 60% of them backed that bloc, the gain would cap out at one to one-and-a-half seats.
Africa Israel Hotels recorded occupancy up about 23% during election week against October 2025, when the security situation was more complicated. Alex Eliyahu, the chain's marketing director, said more Israelis are choosing to pair "exercising their democratic right with a short vacation." Fattal Hotels reported higher occupancy in central Israel. Maya Shalev, its vice president of marketing and sales, said bookings are running above last October, "apparently due to the elections." The chain is offering discounts of up to 30% through October 29.
At the October Council rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, some in the crowd had just landed. Judy, who has lived in the US for more than 50 years, flew in from Miami to vote and leaves in early November. "Many Israelis living in Miami and Los Angeles tend to vote for the Right. I'm different, and I'm not alone," she said. Ofer traveled from New York with his family and heads home the day after the vote. Zehava, from New York, said she plans to vote for Likud and scheduled the trip in advance. Nurit's grandson, 18 and visiting from Canada, is casting his first ballot.
Not everyone made it. flydubai canceled flights after an attempted terrorist attack, stranding some Israelis abroad, and one young man said the cancellations pushed up fares to the Far East. Others already live in Israel but will be abroad Tuesday. Racheli, from Ramat Gan, booked a Vietnam trip with her husband almost a year ago, before the election date was set. "This will be the first time I don't vote. It breaks my heart," she said.
Voters head to the polls on Tuesday.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
